Overview
Whisperian is a Chrome extension that reads web pages and local PDF files aloud, highlighting each word as it is spoken. To generate natural speech, it sends the text you choose to have read to a text-to-speech (TTS) service and plays back the audio it returns. This policy explains exactly what is sent, where, and why.
1. What Data Is Processed
When you start reading a web page, Whisperian extracts the visible text content of that page (paragraphs, headings, list items, and similar elements) and sends it, in chunks of up to 5,000 characters, to the Vaani text-to-speech service at https://vaani.akl773.com. The service returns synthesized audio and word-level timing data, which the extension plays and uses to highlight words as they are spoken.
When you read a PDF, the file is opened and rendered entirely on your device by a PDF engine bundled inside the extension. Whisperian then extracts the PDF's text and sends it, in the same chunks, to the Vaani TTS service — exactly like page text. The PDF file itself is never uploaded; only the extracted text is sent.
The text of the pages and PDFs you ask Whisperian to read aloud is transmitted to an external server (vaani.akl773.com) so it can be converted to speech. If a page or PDF contains personal or sensitive information and you ask Whisperian to read it, that text will be sent to the TTS service.
2. What Is Sent to the TTS Service
- Selected readable content: The readable text of the web page, text selection, or PDF you choose to have read aloud (up to 5,000 characters per request).
- Playback parameters: Your chosen voice, speaking rate, and pitch settings for that request.
Whisperian does not send your browsing history, page URLs, cookies, login credentials, the PDF files themselves, file names or paths, or any text from pages or files you have not asked it to read.
3. What Stays Local
- User Preferences: Your preferences — selected voice, language, and playback speed — are stored locally in your browser using Chrome's
storageAPI. They are not transmitted anywhere except as part of an individual read request (voice, rate, and pitch are included so the returned audio matches your choices). - Local PDF Processing: PDF files are processed entirely on your device: rendering and text extraction happen locally in your browser, and only the extracted text leaves your device — and only to the TTS service.
- Transient Session State: When you ask Whisperian to read a local PDF that is open in a browser tab, the extension briefly holds that file's path in Chrome's
sessionstorage to pass it to the reader page, then immediately clears it. This path is never transmitted off your device. - UI State: The reading panel's position and size are also saved locally via
storage.
4. Permissions Explained
The extension declares only the minimum set of permissions necessary to function (defined in manifest.config.ts):
Whisperian declares no content scripts. Nothing belonging to the extension runs on the pages you visit. The reading code reaches a page only at the moment you ask for a read, by clicking the toolbar button, pressing a keyboard shortcut, or choosing "Read selection aloud" from the right-click menu. That action grants Whisperian temporary access to that one tab, and the reading script is placed there and nowhere else. It stays until you navigate away or close the tab, and it is never placed in tabs you have not started a read in.
| Permission | Purpose | How It Is Used |
|---|---|---|
activeTab | Read current tab & detect PDFs | Only accessed when you explicitly interact with the extension (open popup, click control, or press keyboard shortcut). |
storage | Save preferences & UI state | Stores your selected voice, language, speed, panel dimensions, and transient local PDF session path. Stays 100% on your device. |
scripting | Inject in-page reader | Injects Whisperian's content script into the active tab on demand when you start reading. Runs strictly under the activeTab grant. |
offscreen | Play speech audio | Plays audio returned by the TTS service in a background offscreen document so playback is not interrupted by tab navigation or media autoplay restrictions. |
contextMenus | "Read selection aloud" | Adds a single right-click menu entry that appears only when text is actively highlighted on a page. |
vaani.akl773.com | Contact TTS service | Allows the background worker to dispatch text to the TTS endpoint and receive synthesized audio with word timings. This is the only external host contacted. |
File URLs (Optional) | Read local PDFs | A browser setting in chrome://extensions (off by default). If enabled by you, lets Whisperian read local PDFs you open. It never indexes or scans unrequested files. |
<all_urls> match pattern anywhere in the manifest, and https://vaani.akl773.com is the only host it declares. It does not request the broad tabs permission, and does not use Chrome's built-in tts permission or Web Speech API. Speech synthesis is performed remotely by the dedicated Vaani service.
5. Data Retention & Sharing
- No Long-term Storage: Whisperian itself does not store page or PDF text after a read request completes; it is held in memory only long enough to play the audio.
- No Monetization or Tracking: Whisperian does not use your data for advertising, profiling, or tracking, and does not sell it under any circumstances.
- Zero Telemetry: No analytics, tracking pixels, or telemetry frameworks are bundled or collected by the extension.
6. Your Control
No text is sent unless you actively start a read — of a page, a selection, or a PDF. If you do not start reading, no code of ours runs on the page and no content leaves your browser. Reading local PDFs is additionally gated behind Chrome's optional "Allow access to file URLs" setting, which stays off until you enable it. To remove all locally stored preferences, simply remove the extension from Chrome.
7. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy to reflect enhancements to Whisperian or regulatory requirements. The latest version is always published at https://whisperian.akhilsingh.in/privacy.
8. Contact
If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns regarding this privacy policy or data practices, please contact:
9. Compliance & Disclosures
This extension is disclosed in accordance with the Chrome Web Store Developer Program Policies. Because it transmits the text of web pages and PDFs you choose to read to an external service, the "Website content" data category is declared in the Chrome Web Store data-usage form.